


Darkness Rises

by maulsearring (soandso123), soandso123



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: Chiss (Star Wars), Consensual Everything, F/M, Star Wars - Freeform, um maybe smut idk this is my first fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:28:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24533830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soandso123/pseuds/maulsearring, https://archiveofourown.org/users/soandso123/pseuds/soandso123
Summary: Aniara was an easy target- a force sensitive Chiss woman. After the great purge of the Jedi order, inquisitors had frequently come looking for her, forcing her to live in secret for years, but when a group comes to Dandoran and takes her off world, her life changes.[I don't know what this will turn into- smut or otherwise- or how long it will end up being, but I hope it's good, this is my first fic, so please be kind. Do feel free to share your thoughts or anything!]
Relationships: Cal Kestis & Original Character(s), Cal Kestis/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	1. Beginnings

The jedi order had been a symbol of hope in the galaxy for so long. They were peacekeepers, they fought in our wars, they supposedly kept us safe. When the news was broadcasted that the jedi had tried to interrupt the process of peace in the senate- a supposed attempt on the chancellor’s life- I hadn’t believed it. Soon after, the jedi were wiped out. There were always rumors that some had survived, but those who had were hunted down and exterminated. 

Now, it had been eight years since the Jedi Order had fallen. To the exact day.

Being a force sensitive Chiss made me stand out. Because of this, the jedi had found me at an extremely young age but my parents had begged for me to not be taken. Chiss women were documented losing their force abilities as they grew older and my parents didn’t want me to get taken away if that was a chance.

Because of this, I was allowed to stay on my home planet, but I was to study a small selection of texts the jedi seekers had given me and to practice my abilities in my own time in order to lessen the chance of me losing my ability. I was to travel to Coruscant to be trained by the jedi once I had turned thirteen.

Not long after the Jedi had fallen, a woman, an inquisitor arrived on our planet to search for me. I was not found out, but in my parents' efforts to hide me, they had been killed.

I lived on my own, being very careful about using my abilities. I hid them from everyone, not that I really had any friends to hang out with. I always wore a hooded cloak when out in the town as I was an easy target given my appearance. 

It was a quiet day when the inquisitor arrived again looking for me.

Purge troopers patrolled the area around my home looking for me or anyone who might have seen a Chiss woman.

I, of course, had a way off the planet- through a smuggler. It was just a matter of getting out unseen. I pulled the hood up over my face and kept my head down as I hurried through the streets, ducking behind corners and whatnot to avoid the imperial agents. As I passed the main square though, I saw that the inquisitor was there.

She had rounded up my whole block and lined them up out front of my building, looking between all of the scared citizens, my neighbors, my friends. I ducked behind a stall behind the line of citizens and watched on silently.

She sneered at them and sighed, looking bored, "A young man was reported to be here looking for a force sensitive Chiss woman. The same one which has evaded us for years, but with your help I believe we could find her and him." She held out her hand, a small holoprojector in her palm, which revealed to us the image of a boy- no older than me.

He had handsome features, medium length red hair, a sharp jaw, full lips. On his back was a small BD unit. But in his hands… a lightsaber.

She looked at them, "I'm only going to ask this once. Have you seen this jedi?"

I turned to go but then I stopped, movement behind her catching my eye. A small, yet very familiar droid was crouching behind a barrel. The BD unit from the hologram. 

I did my best not to react audibly and slowly stood from where I had crouched and turned, quickly returning to the alley.

I turned to my right and saw two purge troopers standing there with their backs to me. Panic rose in my chest as I gasped softly and backed up, colliding with another person. I spun on my heel and fell to the ground as I moved backwards and looked up quickly as my hood fell.

The boy from the hologram stood before me, looking rather pleased, talking softly, "It was easier to find you than I thought." I scrambled to my feet and as he began talking again, "I can help you," His eyes lit up as we were joined by the small droid and he nodded, "Follow the droid. I'll be right behind you."

He moved past me towards the inquisitor and I instinctively gripped his arm, hissing my words, "What are you doing?"

"Buying you some time. Go, I'll be right behind you.” His hands moved to either side of my face and he pulled my hood back up over my head. A gesture which made my heart flutter just a little bit. He winked, “Trust me."

His eyes were kind. And something in his tone said he was being sincere. I let go of him with a soft ‘okay’ and nodded, turning and running after the droid.

The small unit led me all the way to the edge of town where a large, sleek ship was waiting, loading dock down, a zabrak woman in red robes standing beside the ramp.

When she saw me, her face lit up, “Oh good,” Her eyes looked past me, her smile faltering, “Where is he?”

I turned around and shook my head, “He engaged the inquisitor… I should help him.”

Her hand gripped my upper arm and she turned me around, “We will go get him together,” She ushered me up the ramp and then with her heavily accented voice called. "Cere! We've got her, let's go get Cal!"

"Got it!" Another voice responded.

The ship swayed suddenly and violently, throwing me onto the floor beside a bench as we took off and began circling the edge of the city. 

The woman in red robes went out on the loading dock as the ship flew lower towards where two figures were clashing, blue blades against red. As he heard the ship approach, the jedi knocked the inquisitor to the ground and turned, sprinting towards the cliff’s edge.

The Zabrak shouted something and green mist surged around her hands as she boosted his jump off the cliff. As he flew through the air, we all realized that he had begun falling a little too early. The boost hadn’t been enough. Realizing this, I sat up and outstretched my hands, yanking him into the open door. 

He shouted in surprise as he slid into the ship on his knees, putting his hands put on either side of my head, stopping himself from completely slamming our heads together.

I raised an eyebrow at him as he nodded, his face only an inch away from mine. He nodded again, breathing out his word, “Okay.”

There was a small commotion from the cockpit as the door to the ship closed and the ship shot into hyperspace but that all calmed down once we were safe.

The jedi finally got off of me and hooked his saber on his belt with a laugh, "Well. That could've gone worse."

The zabrak smiled, "You better thank her." Without another word she disappeared into a different part of the ship.

The jedi turned his kind eyes onto me and nodded as he helped me to my feet, his hands wrapped around mine, "Are you okay?"

"Yes…" I said, apprehension suddenly clouding my words. I had never left Dandoran before and now I found myself on a strange ship with who knows who.

His hands dropped mine and he nodded, "I know this happened really quickly.... But, you can trust us. Hey, BD-1, can I get a healing stim?"

The droid beeped in affirmation and a small tube popped out of its head, which the jedi stabbed against his arm and dropped the canister once the bacta gel inside was fully dispersed.

The jedi put a hand to his chest, "Oh! I'm Cal by the way, Cal Kestis. The girl you saw a few moments ago is Merrin. This is BD-1. Cere and Greez are in the cockpit."

I glanced around as I said my name, trying to see if there were any clues as to who these people might be, "Th'aniara'hoamirm…" At his surprised expression, I quickly added, "I go by Aniara… What's happening here, why did you take me?"

"We are…" He sighed, running a hand through his bright orange hair, "Well, we're a group of individuals who um, fight against the inquisitors. Well I don't know if that's the right way to put it um..."

Another voice came from the hallway as a new face… no, a face I knew entered the sitting area and interrupted Cal, "We are trying to prevent the Empire from making the jedi extinct… hello again young Aniara."

I straightened up quickly, bowing my head, "Master Junda-"

She held up her hands, "It’s Cere. Please. I haven't been a jedi master in a long time."

I relaxed a bit and she nodded at Cal, "Cal, could I have a minute with her? I believe she might have a few questions for me."

Cal nodded and gave me a quick smile before disappearing into the cockpit.

I sat down beside her and shook my head, "What happened? I was going to come to the jedi temple but then the purge happened and then the inquisitors came and-" I sighed, hugging my arms across my chest, "I thought I was alone."

She took my gloved hand in hers, "Don't worry… you aren't alone. Not anymore."

I had heard this before of course, but this was the first time I was beginning to believe it.

"I don't know what I can even do to help you. I was never trained. I don't even have my own lightsaber."

"We know… we intercepted a list of force sensitives who the empire was hunting… you were pretty high on the list. I figured because of how rare your species is… But you'll be safe now. We're taking you to Ilum. The empire came to mine the kyber crystals but their presence has lessened. At least for now… hopefully you'll be able to find your kyber crystal."

I gave a nod, "Will you be teaching me?"

"No. I will oversee, but no. Cal will take on that task."

As if on cue, the boy came into the main area again with a bowl of some type food in his hands, "Hey we are coming up on Ilum now… are you hungry?"

"No." I said quickly. I winced a little on how harsh the words came out and quickly added a quiet thanks. 

His smile didn't even falter as he shrugged, "I didn't think Greez's cooking smelled That bad."

Cere laughed and nodded glancing around us at the ship with a small smile, "We're landing… Aniara. Trust in the force. It won’t lead you astray."


	2. Visions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It really took me forever to update this huh? Sorry! I'll try to update this regularly from now on though!

I hugged the thick fabric of my cloak tightly around me and sighed. We had been walking for only ten minutes or so but the cold, dry air of the frostbitten planet was chilling me to my core. 

Cal nodded, desperate to break the silence that had grown between us, "I've never met someone who was Chiss before."

I glanced over at him, "My mother was Chiss, my father was human."

"Oh."

I tucked a strand of my long inky black hair behind my ear and nodded, "My mother's people are not often seen outside of the unknown regions… I’m sure it must be strange. Some would say unnerving."

He frowned, "Unnerving?"

"Lots of people don't like Chiss eyes." It wasn’t a lie. Even when I was younger I didn't like looking at myself in the mirror. I turned fully to face him, stopping in my tracks. "Do mine not make you uneasy?"

He paused, seemingly surprised by my question.. his eyes searched mine for a moment, as if searching for some indication this was a joke. He blinked then and shook his head. "No, not at all."

I watched him for a second then turned and continued forwards.

He followed and spoke up, changing the subject, "I mean.. This must seem strange huh?"

I scoffed, "What? Some cute guy coming to my town, fighting an inquisitor and taking me off planet to secretly train me to be a jedi?"

His head whipped towards me, a blush spreading across his cheeks, "Some cute guy?"

I blinked. Had I said that? Surely not. I shrugged it off, "Don't let it go to your head Cal."

He beamed at me then I shook my head and looked ahead, stopping again. Cal followed my gaze and quickly pulled me behind a rock, his arm tightly around my waist. In the mouth of the cave stood two stormtroopers. Lucky for us, they hadn't seen us approaching.

Cal cursed under his breath and gripped his lightsaber. I thought for a moment and put a hand on his arm, indicating to him to wait. If he were to go in with his saber drawn, they'd have time to call for backup. We needed to take them out quickly and quietly. I pulled his arm off of me and turned to Cal and assessed him. He was looking at me waiting for instructions.

I turned away from him and outstretched my hands, taking a breath and concentrating. I let out a surge of my force energy, throwing the troopers backwards into a large rock wall. I winced as they slid down it and fell into each other, unconscious. I hadn't been trying to throw them that hard.

Cal looked at me in surprise, a soft, "Oh." escaping his lips.

I got to my feet quickly, "Come on, we've got to move fast."

"You're right"

We approached the cave mouth quickly and knelt beside the troopers. They were out cold. But they would wake up, sooner rather than later for sure. I stood and looked into the cave, a strange feeling surfacing in my gut.

Cal nodded at me, "I can't take this journey with you. I'll stay here with them. Answer any radio calls… make sure they don't wake up and cause any trouble."

I swallowed, a hard lump suddenly forming in my throat, "How will I Know?"

Cals eyes met mine and he stood quickly. "You'll feel it."

I forced a smile despite how nervous I found myself.

"If you're nervous I can send BD with you." Cal offered up, nudging the droid on his back. I smiled and gave a nod. "May the force be with you." Cal said, a sudden sincerity in his voice that caused my heart to flutter a little.

I put a hand on his shoulder and nodded, returning the blessing to him. Then, without another word I traveled into the caves with BD close at my heels.

I didn't come across any troopers inside even as I reached the heart of the temple where I found four pathways branching off before me. I sighed, relieved, and knelt in the center of the room. I closed my eyes and reached out. There was silence for a while before I heard ringing, like a bell, sound from one of the paths.

I opened my eyes and stood quickly, following the sound. I knew that I shouldn't rush this process, but something in me didn't want to leave Cal behind for too long. The droid accompanying me beeped as it struggled to keep up.

As the ringing grew stronger, the caves grew dark. I slowed my approach as the light faded around me. Suddenly, the ringing turned into a low hum and my vision was flooded with bright, unnatural lighting.

I spun, seeing the surroundings of a ship. Then I noticed that the droid was gone. I surveyed my surroundings. A sterile ship with perfect symmetry and clean lines. Imperial by nature. I turned back around as a door opened.

I narrowed my eyes at a pair of officers walking down the hallway away from me. They had an odd familiarity about them. The woman glanced over her shoulder and I caught a glimpse of her eyes. Bright and red. My mother. I moved forwards cautiously, following them but keeping an eye out for anything else. 

This was all a part of the ritual. I knew that. Cere had given me a small briefing before she sent Cal and I out. The force was meant to test your weaknesses. Your fears. The only issue was… I didn't know what those might be.

As I moved forwards, the hum turned into something more ragged and strained. Like breathing, but not quite human. I kept moving forwards. Following my parents. I kept reminding myself that this was just a vision. It couldn't hurt me. 

The lights blinked out again and I was met by red lights now. I looked around. The hallway was empty. The lights dimmed and went dark again, but as the lights came back up there was a figure in the darkness before me.

I frowned and narrowed my eyes at the silhouette. I couldn’t quite make it out though. Suddenly a lightsaber illuminated and I froze as it cast red light on the figure. It was him. Vader. It had to be. I had never seen him but I had heard the stories. He lifted his saber and pointed it towards me, "Your emotions will betray you. As mine once did to me. You cannot trust the jedi."

I frowned, "What do you mean?"

"The empire has more allies to you than you know."

He made no move to attack, let alone even approach me. I took a step, then another feeling drawn to him. His blade didn't waver. I stepped close enough until it was only an inch or so away from touching my skin. I felt no heat from it. I looked back up to the dark lord and he seemed to stare at me expectantly.

I was not afraid. I would not fail this test. I took another step and as the blade passed through me, he spoke again.

"Your parents and I look forward to seeing you Aniara."

My blood ran cold as my lips parted to question him. I didn’t get the chance to speak though. He raised his hand and curled his fingers into a fist. The floor below my feet disappeared and I plummeted about twenty feet straight down, straight into another room. There was a shocking chill, but it faded into warmth after a second.

I opened my eyes and blinked, staring straight ahead at what I saw before me. It was my home. My parents were standing in the living room.

My mother's red eyes were dull, her near black hair falling loosely onto her shoulders, something she never had allowed. Her blue skin looked taunt over her cheekbones.

My mother smiled, friendly and warm, "Welcome home honey… you've been gone a long time."

I stepped backwards. No. She was dead… at least I thought she was. I hadn’t actually seen her get killed... just taken away.

My father, his brown hair tousled and his green eyes sparkling, smiled, "You look dreadful."

I glanced down at my cloak- no. I was wearing everyday, normal clothes. I looked back up, "What's happening?"

"The force is guiding you to us." My mother said softly.

I looked between them two and then something behind them caught my eye. A glowing crystal on a shelf… No. Actually, there were two.

I moved past them and went to grab my prizes.

"Don't." My mother's voice was sharp and stern. I jolted and whipped around.

Her face softened, "It's just. Are you sure you are ready for what's next?"

I glanced back at the crystals and then to her, "Yes. I am."

"You're not. You have nothing. No one who cares about you. Why would you leave us?" My father spoke.

My moms hands gripped my wrists. "We gave up Everything to keep you safe. Why are you going down this path?" Her hands were icy cold.

I pulled free. Every breath was hurting. I turned away from my mom, "I have stayed hidden for too long. It's time I do something worthwhile."

"So you'll just leave us behind?"

I squeezed my eyes shut and nodded, "I have to. I have to move on."

"Move on? From what?" She laughed, “It’s not like we’re dead.”

When I opened my eyes again, my parents were frozen. My fathers lips were tinted blue and both of their skin was pale. As I watched in horror, my mother's hair began to float freely off her shoulders. I noticed something then too. An imperial rank badge pinned to her chest. They were both wearing imperial uniforms.

I stumbled backwards away from them, my own hair beginning to float freely around my face. I frowned, turning around and closing my hand around the crystals. 

Suddenly the cold returned with such ferocity that the breath was knocked from my lungs and my heart began pounding against my rib cage as I realized I was submerged in water. Not only that, but I was drowning.

I kicked off the bottom of the pool and pressed my hand against the frozen-over surface. There had to be a break. Where had I fallen through? I began to frantically look around for an opening in the ice above me but I saw nothing. 

I curled my fists and began beating on the ice the best I could. But to no avail. I was running out of time. My vision began to go dark and I gripped the crystals tightly as I lost consciousness.

I came to, only moments later, to Cal’s lips, warm and soft, upon mine. This was followed by his hands pressing down on my chest, trying to restart my heart.

I couldn't feel my body. I couldn't open my eyes, I couldn't even wiggle my fingers. 

I could hear Cal talking, mainly to himself and a little to BD-1. Broken phrases came through, "We won't- no- Contact Cere- no buddy- let that happen"

He put his ear to my chest and listened for a moment before he cursed. As he pinched my nose and blew breath into my lungs again, I forced my eyes open slowly, it felt as though my eyelids were frozen shut. He didn't even notice that I was awake before he started his compressions back up.

After another moment, I jolted and rolled onto my side as I began to cough up water, struggling to choke down gulps of air. Cal cradled my jaw and he smiled in relief, lifting my chin to look at him, "Hey, you with me?"

I stared at him in shock. He had just saved my life. We didn't even Know each other and he had brought me back. Something in me was fighting the urge to kiss him right then. 

I nodded finally, forcing myself into a sitting position. Cal sat back a little and he looked down at his droid, "Tell Cere to get the ship ready."

The droid beeped in affirmation and Cal helped me to my feet, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear as he put my arm over his shoulder, helping me as we made our way out of the caverns.

I panicked then and spun, glancing around frantically, "The kyber-"

He dug around in the utility belt around his waist and pulled them out, "Here. I had to wrench them out of your hand when I got you out of the ice."

I closed my hand around them and held them to my heart. It was then I realized that I wasn't wearing the cloak anymore. Cal noticed me realizing this and he nodded, "I put it in my bag. You're suffering from some hypothermia. It wasn’t smart to have you in a wet piece of fabric while i was trying to save your life…" He paused and removed my arm from his shoulder before he pulled off his poncho.

"Are you going to hold that over my head now?" I joked as he pulled the poncho over my head and continued helping me forward.

He turned his head quickly, "Oh no, no, no! I wasn't trying to make it sound like- um, no I'm sorry."

I rolled my eyes, "Cal, I was joking."

He relaxed and with a laugh replied simply, "Oh." 

We remained silent the rest of the way out of the cave with the droid leading the way. I was holding his shoulder tightly, trying to get some warmth from his own body as I shook from the cold.

Cal noticed this and quickened his pace, leading us out of the cave. We made it to the ship quickly and as we came up the ramp and into the sitting room, we saw no one was in the common area.

Cal called for Cere as he ran his hands up and down my arms, attempting to bring some sort of warmth. 

"Did you two get into trouble, why did you need the ship-" Cere spoke as she came into the room with a shorter alien that I could only assume was Greez.

She gasped as she saw my wet hair and clothes and a look of concern crossed her features, "What happened to her?"

"What's the warmest part of the ship?" Cal interrupted.

Greez stammered a response and Cal picked me up, surprising everyone present. He gave a nod towards Cere, "Could you get her some dry clothes and a blanket maybe?"

Cere nodded and he carried me to the far end of the ship. From what I could see, this seemed to be his own room with a simple bunk in the wall and a small workspace.

He sat me down on the floor and knelt before me, "You'll need to get changed."

I looked down at my shaking hands and looked him in the eyes, "Can you help me?" A blush crept across his cheekbones as he registered what that meant. I nodded, indicating that it was okay with me, "Please."

"Of course."

I watched him as his eyes moved across my clothes, to see how everything was on. His eyes met mine then he nodded, his eyes closing, his hands helping to undo the fastenings on my clothes, peeling the partially frozen fabric off of my skin.

Cal worked slowly, careful not to touch me anywhere except where my own shaking hands were leading his gloved ones to. When I was only in my underclothes Cal paused.

Cere came into the doorway and placed some clothes and a blanket on the ground beside us, speaking softly, "Merrins clothes were the only ones that would fit you."

I thanked her before she turned away and paused, "I’ll make sure the others give you some privacy." I nodded and she left.

I guided his hands to the hem of my undershirt and he gently tugged it up and over my head. My heart was pounding in my chest. This was such an intimate setting. Cal was nervous too. I could hear the small variations in his heartbeat and his breath. A perk of being part Chiss. Heightened hearing and vision.

I guided his hands to the clasp on my bra and he quickly undid it and pulled it off, dropping it onto the pile of wet clothes beside us. I swallowed as his fingertips softly moved down my sides and hooked into the waistband of my underwear, pulling it down and dropping it onto the pile of clothes. The cooling leather of the gloves left goosebumps in their wake. I wondered what his skin would feel like. Soft and smooth or rough and calloused?

He exhaled softly, his eyes still shut tight. I watched him carefully. The way I felt about him was changing. But I couldn't figure out what that might mean for the future. After all, I had to figure out what the force was trying to show me on Ilum. It seemed obvious enough. Now I just had to get to the Empire- to Vader- to confirm it.

Cal sat back and reached around blindly for Merrins clothes. The process was quickened now. He worked quickly to get me redressed, the intimacy was gone. Once I was completely covered again, he opened his eyes. 

We watched each other in silence for a few moments before he cleared his throat and pulled the blanket around my shoulders.

"Cal." I spoke as he moved to stand up.

He turned, his eyes brightening. I nodded, "Um. Could you…" Stay with me? The rest of the question remained unasked but Cal gave a nod.

He sat back down beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as I settled into him, his body heat finally taking the chill off my skin.

"I haven't thanked you have I?" I said after a long, quiet moment.

Cal shrugged, "That doesn't matter. As long as you're okay."

"It does matter." I turned my head and pressed my lips to his cheekbone, "Thank you."

He laughed quietly, "Your lips are cold."

"Yours weren't." I retorted, closing my eyes, leaning my head into his chest.

Cal shifted uncomfortably and stammered through a response, "Okay well I. Um. Listen, you didn't give me much of a choice-"

"I'm sure under different circumstances it would've been nice." I said quietly before slowly drifting into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Doubts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna be honest this might get a little ~smutty~ next chapter but I have not decided yet. I Will update the tags however if it does turn out that way.

"You kids done cuddling?"

My eyes snapped open and I frowned, I was laying horizontally across Cal's lap, wrapped tightly in the blanket he had given me. My arm was wrapped around his thigh. Cal was still asleep even with the interruption, his arm over my shoulder, his other hand tangled in my hair.

I pushed myself off of him slowly and frowned, talking quietly, "We… um. Where are we?"

"Bogano. Cere was thinking of having Cal take you out today to do…" He made air quotes with his fingers, "Jedi business." He paused for a second then shrugged, "I don’t ask questions."

He was avoiding meeting my eyes as we spoke, "We thawed out your clothes and washed them too. They're dry if you want to change out of Merrins."

I glanced down at the bright red robes I was wearing. I nodded then and got to my feet, thanking him. Greez smiled, "No worries kid. I'll um… send Cal your way in a bit."

After about twenty minutes or so, I had finished getting dressed and was standing awkwardly by Cere, gripping the kyber tightly in my palm. I was standing, unknowingly to me, the way my mother had always told me to. Back straight, head up, unmoving. Still. Regal, even.

Cal came down the ramp with a sigh and I saw that he was carrying a small box under his arm, "Good morning"

I nodded, avoiding eye contact, instead turning to view the planet's uneven surface. I was feeling awkward about yesterday's events and I wasn't really looking forward to spending the day alone with him where it might come up again.

Cere smiled at me. "Trust in the force. It will not lead you astray."

I gave a nod and followed Cal. We made our way across the various cliffs and gaps, until he led me into an abandoned workshop which he had obviously cleaned up a little. He sat on the ground and set the box before him as I sat across from him. 

He nodded, "Okay so we have a lot of different parts here. Choose what you'd like for your saber and then I'll coach you through the next steps."

He uncovered the box and nodded, "Take your time. This weapon is your life."

I did as instructed and selected my pieces and set them all out before I put my two crystals down as well.

Cal nodded, "Okay. Now. Close your eyes. Stretch out your hand. Picture the pieces coming together. Picture your finished product. Keep your focus and it should go quickly."

I took a breath and held out my hand. After about 2 hours worth of over twenty failed attempts the saber hilt finally assembled itself properly.

I opened my eyes, closing my fingers around my weapon. A double bladed indigo lightsaber. Cal beamed at me, "Now we can train."

He got to his feet and pulled me up after him. I came up a little too fast and put a hand against his chest to stop our collision. He laughed, "Oops sorry."

I stepped away from him and smiled before I turned around heading back up the circular ramp to the clearing above us.

Cal shrugged off his rucksack and set it off to the side as he held his saber out before himself. He ignited it and two blades appeared on either side of his hand. He whirled it around himself, showboating a little with a small shrug, "Let's start with basic stances."

After hours of training and frustration, Cal finally said we could stop for the day.

We packed up our stuff and Cal nodded at me as BD climbed onto his back, "You were distracted."

"What?"

"You were letting your mind wander. That's why you were struggling."

He was right. The events on Ilum were clouding my thoughts.

He nodded, "Let's talk about it." He sat down on a long rock that resembled a bench and patted the surface beside him.

The look on his face told me there was no use arguing with him about this. I sat beside him and the droid moved down his arm and into my lap, beeping happily.

"What did you see on Ilum."

I stared down at the weapon in my hands, "I saw... Vader."

Cal sat back. "What?" Apparently that was not what he was expecting me to say.

"The force showed me a vision. I was on a ship… an imperial ship. And Vader was there. He um, he spoke to me."

"What did he say?" Cal was leaning forwards waiting for my answer.

"He said my… um. Emotions would betray me." Not completely the truth but not a lie. I continued, choosing to not say everything, "I stepped up to him and that's when I fell into the pool. But it wasn't a pool, it was my home."

Cal nodded, prompting me to continue.

I sighed, "I saw my parents. They wanted me to stay with them. But it wasn't my time. When I confronted them, that's when I realized I was drowning... Then I woke up to you."

He took my hand in his. "I have a feeling that there is something else."

"I'm just… No. There's nothing else."

"You're sure?"

"Yes… I think."

Cal's eyes searched mine then he leaned towards me, his lips meeting mine. Soft and brief. My immediate reaction was to pull away from him and put my fingers to my lips. He looked surprised. Not because of my action, but because of his own. I swallowed and turned away from him, blinking quickly. 

He swallowed and laughed nervously, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck, "Sorry, I um… don't know why I did that."

I looked down at my hands in my lap, my heart beating rapidly, "Cal... I think um… Cere would want us to focus on training."

Cal nodded quickly, seemingly glad for this bullshit excuse I had come up with.

We moved apart from one other and looked to the ground. We stayed in this awkward space for quite some time before Cal got onto his feet, "Let's go another round. Then we can head back to the ship for dinner."

The next three weeks, Cal and I avoided each other as much as we could manage except of course when we would train which would consist of very little speaking.

Cere seemed to notice this but had decided she and Greez shouldn't say anything. A memo that the nightsister had not gotten.

"What's going on between you two?"

"The training has been going really well, actually." Cal started.

Merrin shook her head, "No no. Not the training. Why are you two being so strange around each other? When will you two admit your feelings about one another and stop avoiding each other?"

Cal held up a hand, his voice kind but there was an edge to it, a warning to not bring it up again maybe, "Hey there's nothing going on between us… we were just. No, I was just um." His eyes fell on mine, "Confused."

I let out a quick breath, feeling frustrated, and stood. Cal flinched, the guilt immediate in his eyes. I excused myself as I headed outside. I surveyed my surroundings before my eyes landed on a massive metal structure emerging from the earth. That would be a good place for some peace and quiet.

I reached the structure easily and went inside, seeing a small statue with a hole in the center. I frowned, ducking into the opening, finding myself stumbling into a Large circular chamber with exquisite carvings on every wall.

I held my hand up to a carving when I heard the shallow pool of water being disturbed behind me. I tensed up and let out a breath, "Im fine, I don't need you to come check on me all the time Cal."

There was no response and I dug my nails into my palms, "You know. It's been so long since I trusted anyone, but you seemed so kind… I let down my guard with you. When you talk to me my heart beats faster. I just… maybe I'm insane but I thought you shared those sentiments."

No response still. Was he wanting an apology? I whirled, "If you didn't feel the same then you shouldn't have kissed me-" I staggered backwards and gasped. It wasn't Cal. "Oh Cere, I. Um..." I put a hand against my face, "This is Embarrassing."

Cere waved a hand dismissively, "It's no problem. Everyone has things they are working through… I told Merrin it was a touchy subject but she doesn't understand what that means I'm afraid."

My face was burning with embarrassment.

Cere gestured around us, "This structure was built by the Zeffo. Beautiful isn't it?"

I nodded and Cere joined me at my side, "Do you want to talk?"

"About the Zeffo?" I asked, hopeful she wouldn't mention Cal.

She laughed quietly. "No… What happened to you on Ilum. Cal told me that he was worried..."

I folded my arms with a sigh. Of course he had.

She continued, "He was worried that you weren't telling him everything." She nodded, turning to me, "If you don't want to talk about Ilum. That's fine. We could talk about Cal instead… you obviously seem like you might have some things to express on that." She nodded when i didn't answer, "Or we could just sit here in the quiet until you're ready to go back."

I glanced around the large chamber, seeing a large rock. I outstretched my hand and brought the stone over to us and took a seat.

Cere joined me and I sighed again, mumbling my answer, "I would rather talk about Ilum."

"Okay. Tell me what happened."

"Um. Well. I saw a couple of things…. Um when I was going into the caves the force showed me this vision of an imperial ship. Or well. I assumed it was. Um." I closed my eyes trying to remember the exact details I would choose to share, "There was an alarm. And red lights. The alarm turned into breathing though, and I saw Vader at the end of the hallway."

I heard Ceres heartbeat skip. Her sharp intake of breath. I opened my eyes and met her frightened gaze, "Did he speak, did he say anything to you?"

I nodded, "He was talking about how I shouldn't trust you guys. And that my emotions would betray me as they had once betrayed him."

Cere nodded, urging me to continue.

I took a breath, "Um I walked closer to him and then I fell into a vision of my home. And my parents were there."

I blinked quickly, tears coming into my eyes, "Um," I shook my head, "Sorry. Um."

Her hand covered mine.

"They were urging me to not go down this path. Then I grabbed my crystal and realized I was drowning. Cal must've pulled me out of the ice because I woke up to him trying to resuscitate me."

"Is that everything?"

"Can it be?" I asked quietly.

"Don't feel pressured to share everything if you aren't ready…" Cere squeezed my hand, "Aniara… I know how you must feel about what happened- what you were shown…. But I don't think that the force was trying to tell you to avoid Cal. I just think that maybe um… maybe you need to be wary of what's going on around you." She paused then added, "Don't allow the dark side to influence your decision to trust us and more importantly to trust him. We all need to work together to complete this goal of ours and since you stood up to the empire publicly-" She sighed.

"I can't go back to how it used to be… I know."

Cere looked at me, "I think. You should tell Cal about everything you saw. It might ease your mind to get it off your chest."

"I don't know how to find the words."

"Cal has the ability to see people's memories… echoes of moments… when you're ready, he'll be able to see."

She nodded and I wrapped my arms around her. She returned the gesture for a while then we both stood and I followed Cere up and out of the temple, heading back towards the ship.

When we came back to the camp, we saw Cal sitting by a small fire with the others. BD beeped and Cal stood quickly, turning around, "You're back."

I dropped my eyes to the ground and Cere gestured to the ship. 

I moved past Cal and went inside the ship, standing just inside the door so I could hear them but so they couldn't see me.

"Is Ani okay? I feel awful, Cere." Cal was saying. Ani. He had called me Ani. A nickname. I'd never had one of those before.

She answered shortly, "Go talk to her."

"She doesn't want-"

"Go."

Cal sighed and I went and sat down on the bench seat beside the holomap table. I was alone for only a few moments before Cal entered, closing the door behind him.

"Hey." He managed after a moment. 

I forced a smile as he sat down across from me.

We stayed quiet for a while and I shook my head, "Look Cal. I shouldn't have stormed off this morning."

He held up his hands, "I shouldn't have said what I said."

I looked at him, "I'm just stressed Cal."

He nodded, "I know you are."

"And I can't help but think that maybe the force was warning me about…" My voice trailed off.

"Me." He finished with a nod.

"Yeah- well no- more like," My parents. I didn't say that though, I just kept going, "...just All of you… Cere thinks I should just be aware of what's going on around me… it's hard to trust you guys so quickly. It's hardly been a month."

"I get that. I didn't trust Cere and Greez at first… oh and it took Merrin a long time to fully trust all of us." He moved across the chamber and sat beside me, "But. I need to tell you the truth."

"The truth?"

"About how I feel…. Aniara, I can't explain it but-"

The door opened, interrupting us and Cere entered, looking a little apologetic, "We just intercepted a new transmission."

I glanced at Cal as Greez and Merrin entered the ship, bringing aboard all our belongings.

"We know where the inquisitor is. We are going to take you two there so you can keep an eye on her together for a while. You are Not going to engage her."

I looked at Cal, "Uh. What are you guys going to do?"

"We are going to meet with one of my rebel informants."

"Oh. Okay."

"We have arrangements for you to stay on the planet already…. Unless that's going to be a problem."

Cal shook his head, "No no, not at all."


End file.
